The Final 25 Coming to Pittsburgh

by Brandon Posa

In case anyone has missed it, the Pirates have officially announced their final 25-Man roster that will come north to start the 2014 season. Broken down by position:

Pitchers
Francisco Liriano
Gerrit Cole
Charlie Morton
Wandy Rodriguez
Edinson Volquez
Jeanmar Gomez
Stolmy Pimentel
Bryan Morris
Justin Wilson
Tony Watson
Mark Melancon
Jason Grilli

Catchers
Russell Martin
Tony Sanchez

Infielders
Pedro Alvarez
Neil Walker
Gaby Sanchez
Travis Ishikawa
Jordy Mercer
Clint Barmes
Josh Harrison

Outfielders
Andrew McCutchen
Starling Marte
Travis Snider
Jose Tabata

As I mentioned as the most likely possibility last week, Vin Mazzaro was designated for assignment today as the odd man out of the bullpen. The Pirates should immediately receive offers to trade him, with the most likely return being additional pitching depth for AAA Indy.

This is a solid roster to begin the season, and minus the addition of 1B Travis Ishikawa, is exactly what I had felt would be Clint Hurdle's starting forces for the beginning of 2014. It's a very long season, one in which we are likely to see the addition of a few top prospects, as well as a few late-season additions via trades if GM Neal Huntington & Co. feel the Pirates need an external push towards the playoffs. Time will tell if the 2014 version of the Pittsburgh Pirates will rival the success--or exceed it--that they reached in the magical 2013 season.